1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solid structural material using a three-dimensional five-axial woven fabric and a foundation fabric for use in this method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Three-dimensional weaving machines for weaving three-dimensional five-axial woven fabrics are well known. These weaving machines are described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (Tokkai-Hei) No. 3-76845, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (Tokkai-Hei) No. 4-11043, and Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (Tokkai-Hei) No. 5-106140. As described in each of the publications, the three-dimensional weaving machine guides warps and bias yarns to a cloth fell and inserts vertical yarns into the cloth fell from above or below a yarn layer. Further, a weft insertion rapier inserts wefts into the yarn layer to allow the vertical yarns to connect the warps, the wefts, and the bias yarns together, thereby manufacturing a three-dimensional five-axial woven fabric.
Such three-dimensional five-axial woven fabrics are expected to be applied to various fields in the future.
The present invention is provided to expand the application of three-dimensional five-axial woven fabrics, and it is an object thereof to manufacture a solid structural material using a three-dimensional five-axial woven fabric.
The present invention is characterized in that in weaving a three-dimensional five-axial woven fabric using a three-dimensional weaving machine, a solid structural material is manufactured by alternately driving upper and lower insertion members for inserting vertical yarns from above and below, respectively, in such a manner that each of the insertion members and a weft insertion rapier are driven with different timings, thereby forming divisibly woven sections in portions of a manufactured three-dimensional five-axial woven fabric.
The divisibly woven sections can be formed in a longitudinal direction of the three-dimensional five-axial woven fabric by selectively driving each of the insertion members in a cross direction of the three-dimensional five-axial woven fabric in such a manner that a particular insertion member and the weft insertion rapier are driven with different timings.
The present invention also provides a foundation fabric for use in manufacturing a solid structural material, comprising a three-dimensional five-axial woven fabric having a divisibly woven sections in portions thereof.